4 or More: A Short-Film by Gin & Tonic

$12,762

101

We’ve all been there. Your career isn’t going anywhere. Your relationships with your loved ones are strained. What are you doing with your life?

Some people find solace in buying new toys or chasing new fancies. Others re-invent themselves from mild-mannered marketing guy to steely-eyed assassin for hire. It goes about as well as you’d expect.

This film is about making a bold change with your life, no matter how crazy and outlandish. It’s dedicated to everyone who took that first step and survived.

4 or More: A Short Film for Horrible People is a dramatic dark comedy about Robert, a middle-aged man suffering through a midlife crisis. Instead of buying a convertible or skydiving, he decides to give up his boring, lifelong career in marketing to become a hitman.

Robert’s optimistic wife, Helen, and her snarky brother, Tom, are caught up in the mix when Robert kidnaps his first mark - an insightful artist named Dave, and brings him home on Helen’s designated “family night”. To pass the time before Dave’s demise, the family forces him to be the fourth player in their game of Cards Against Humanity.

Alex “Tonic” Hall is a Houston/Chicago based independent filmmaker, screenwriter, and editor. She has written and directed multiple short projects including The Replacement (2013), which was awarded second runner up at the Houston 48 Hour Film Project, as well as Hours of Our Lives (2014), a spoof on daytime soap operas.

Gin “Gin” Yu is a Taiwanese born, Brazilian raised film producer and director. Gin was the recipient of the 2015 Skye’s The Limit Award by the Skye McCole Bartusiak Foundation, and under Gin & Tonic Films has produced and directed multiple short projects. Propelled by their desire to create and share stories, Gin and Alex founded Gin & Tonic Films, a Houston/Chicago based independent film production house to bring their visions to screens of all sizes.

Check out some of our previous work by clicking the image below!

We don’t want to be like the guy at the end of the film: gagged and tied to a chair with our hands behind our backs. We need financial support. People, equipment, food, blood... all of these things cost money.

The absolute minimum cost to make this film is $11,563. This is what we would call the “beg, borrow, and steal method of filmmaking”. Pretty much self-explanatory but with potential jail time.

Back the Project! Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing deal. If we don't meet or exceed our $11,563 goal then we get nothing. Zero. Nada. Zip. Which will make us really sad and probably send one of us on a table flipping rampage. If you care about tables then please back us. No amount is too great or too small. Not only will your heart be happy, but you'll also be supporting the growth of the indie film community.

Tell EVERYONE and their mother! No, really. Call your mom and tell her about the project. Even if you can't donate, sharing this kickstarter with friends and other likeminded horrible people via email or social media will really help build a community to rally behind what we're trying to accomplish.

Follow us! We're hip. We're cool. We've got a Facebook AND a Twitter account for you to follow. That's where we'll post any updates about the film, production stills, and behind the scenes footage.

Ask us anything! And we do mean ANYTHING. Have questions? Want more information about the film? Our shoe sizes? Ask away!

Filmmaking is fun, challenging, rewarding, and costly. Independent films are often financed through grassroots campaigns or by going into debt. We are working with other passionate filmmakers and actors who are devoting their time, energy, and talent into the making of this film- it would only be right to pay them for their craft.

Plus, who doesn't love that face?

Like custom illustrations? So do we! That's why we asked our good friend Jake Ekiss to design an exclusive 4 or More poster! Jake is an incredible Dallas-based comic creator and illustrator and we are so excited to share his art with you! Included in the VIP tier and above in an 11x17" print.

Arm by Kristi Boul

Yup. That's an arm. And you can only imagine what will happen to it. We had Houston Special FX and Make Up artist Kristi Boul make 2 of these bad boys for the film. There are also 2 spots (well, 1 now) for the "Can You Give Me A Hand" tier... What an odd coincidence! Here's a quick video of the process:

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Ideally, we'd like to aim for $18,180. This would include a symbolic compensation for cast & crew (when we say symbolic, we really mean it. It would be like: “Aww, that’s cute. I’m going to frame this as a souvenir”). This would also improve production values dramatically by allowing us to rent bright and shiny toys (equipment), feed the cast and crew (ever work with “hangry” people? It’s real. And it’s not fun), location expenses, props, wardrobe, production insurance, film festival entry fees, etc.

For the low, low price of $32,201 we’ll get all of the above (minus the jail time) as well as a professional post-production studio for sound mixing (with a REAL audio engineer and everything!). Sound is a crucial part of the film and is the independent film’s achilles heel. This goal would also cover music rights, ADR work (fancy acronym for audio stuff), color correction and grading, etc. In all seriousness, post-production is costly, and this number is just an estimate of what we will need to polish the film.

NOTE: We are NOT affiliated with Cards Against Humanity, nor do we work with/for them. We just really like the game.

Risks and challenges

As with any project, things are bound to go wrong when you least expect them. We’re prepared for that. We’ve got the crew, we’ve got the actors, and we’ve got the know-how. Our biggest challenge (and risk) is the practical effect that takes place- and for that, we need a Special FX Coordinator to make sure everything is done safely.

Storytelling is our passion. A lot of time and care has gone into the development of 4 Or More. We know what is needed to complete the film to the professional level that it deserves. We are excited to share 4 Or More with the world and invite you to join our team to make this project become a reality.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $50 or more
About $50

ADVANCED SCREENING

+ A super secret link to a preview of the rough cut of the film
+ Movie postcard
+ HD download of the completed film after the world premiere
+ Exciting updates via Kickstarter
+ A social media shout out

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $75 or more
About $75

VIP (VERY INTELLIGENT PERSON)

+ A 4 Or More illustrated print to make your room look awesome
+ A super secret link to a preview of the rough cut of the film
+ Movie postcard
+ HD download of the completed film after the world premiere
+ Exciting updates via Kickstarter
+ Social media shout out

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $100 or more
About $100

SCRIPT READER

+ A digital copy of the script
+ Your name listed under Kickstarter backers in the film’s end credits
+ A 4 Or More illustrated print to impress your friends
+ A super secret link to a preview of the rough cut of the film
+ Movie postcard
+ HD download of the completed film after the world premiere
+ Exciting updates via Kickstarter
+ Social media shout out

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $250 or more
About $250

RED CARPET IN HOUSTON

+ Private screening with cast & crew (Transportation Not Included)
+ The Director, a professional voice over talent, will record a PG-13 personal greeting for you
+ A PHOTO with the cast & crew
+ An invitation for you +1 to the wrap party
+ A digital copy of the script
+ Your name listed under Kickstarter backers in the film’s end credits
+ A 4 Or More illustrated print to earn you street cred
+ A super secret link to a preview of the rough cut of the film
+ Movie postcard
+ HD download of the completed film after the world premiere
+ Exciting updates via Kickstarter
+ Social media shout out

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $250 or more
About $250

RED CARPET IN CHICAGO

+ Private screening with the Director and Producer (Transportation Not Included)
+ The Director, a professional voice over talent, will record a PG-13 personal greeting for you
+ A PHOTO with the Director & Producer
+ An invitation for you +1 to the wrap party (Transportation Not Included)
+ A digital copy of the script
+ Your name listed under Kickstarter backers in the film’s end credits
+ A 4 Or More illustrated print to get all the ladies
+ A super secret link to a preview of the rough cut of the film
+ Movie postcard
+ HD download of the completed film after the world premiere
+ Exciting updates via Kickstarter
+ Social media shout out

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

THANK YOU

+ Thank you credit on IMDB
+ Your name listed under the producer’s thank you section of the film’s end credits
+ A PHOTO with the cast & crew
+ Cast & crew autographed copy of the script
+ An invitation for you +2 to the wrap party after filming ends (Transportation Not Included)
+ A digital copy of the script
+ Your name listed under Kickstarter backers in the film’s end credits
+ A 4 Or More illustrated print
+ A super secret link to a preview of the rough cut of the film
+ Movie postcard
+ HD download of the completed film after the world premiere
+ Exciting updates via Kickstarter
+ Social media shout out

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

CAN YOU GIVE ME A HAND?

+ Associate Producer credit
+ A very special limited prop from the film. Only 2 props will be made
+ We’ll bring a 6 pack (your choice) and have a game night with all the Associate Producers in the same city (Houston or Chicago Only)
+ An invitation for you +3 to the wrap party after filming ends (Transportation Not Included).

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,500 or more
About $2,500

DECKED OUT GAME NIGHT

+ Co-Producer credit
+ Giveaway of the Deck That Was Used on Set
+ We’ll bring a 6 pack (your choice) and have a game night with all the Co-Producers in the same city (Houston or Chicago Only)
+ 3 Pages of the Storyboard

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,500 or more
About $2,500

SCRIPT DOCTOR GAME NIGHT

+ Co-Producer credit
+ Hardcopy of the director’s script used during the filming
+ We’ll bring a 6 pack (your choice) and have a game night with all the Co-Producers in the same city (Houston or Chicago Only)
+ 3 pages of the storyboard

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $5,000 or more
About $5,000

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

+ Executive Producer credit in the end credits as well as in all promotional material created for the film (postcard, movie poster, etc)
+ A personal skype session to answer any questions, talk about the progress of the film, or just hang out
+ The Director will post a video on social media of your involvement in the project as Executive Producer
+ A Skype session to discuss the rough cut of the film
+ Private lunch with Director and Producer (Chicago or Houston only)
+ We’ll bring a 6 pack (your choice) and have a game night with you and your friends (Houston or Chicago)
+ Your choice of 3 storyboard pages

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $10,000
About $10,000

THE GODFATHER

+ Executive Producer credit in the end credits as well as in all promotional material created for the film (postcard, movie poster, etc)
+ The Director will post an interview video on social media of your involvement in the project as executive producer
+ The Director and the Producer will come to your house to cook you dinner and talk about Gin & Tonic Films’ vision and goals (Gin will grill and Alex will bake)
+ We’ll always remember you and be grateful for the faith you placed on us at this stage of our journey